Q&A With MC Creed

Friday, 26 February 2016

Part three in our interview series for this year’s birthday celebrations see’s the legend that is MC Creed join Backto95 for a quick catch up. Here's what went down...

Widely recognized as one of the godfathers of UKG, MC Creed has been a much respected figure on the House and Garage scene since the late 80s/ early 90s. Alongside close friends and collaboraters, Norris Da Boss Windross and Jason Kaye, he helped launch the prestigious UKG Awards, which led to a series of international dates and played an instrumental role in spreading the Garage sound across the world. Alongside this, Creed has played host to some of the hottest and most in demand club nights over the past two decades, including ‘Twice as Nice’, ‘Sun City’ and ‘Pure Silk’, as well as keeping up a string of appearances on the White Isle and Ayia Napa and achieving chart success with “We Are Da Click” and “Good Rhymes”, produced alongside DJ Pied Piper, Unknown MC, PSG and Valerie.

Here’s what went down when we caught up with Creed earlier on in the week.

So a lot is going on for you at the moment – can you sum up where you’re at right now?I have been really busy, enjoying music again. It is so good to see the progression of the scene and the industry being built back up around us as we speak. New music, new labels, new promotion and trust has been rebuilt. It is a beautiful thing for the scene.

Going back to your roots, where did you grow up?I was born in Hackney, East London. I moved from Hackney to Ilford when I was 5 or 6. Then I moved to Chadwell Heath but my stomping ground has always been East London.

When did you first start taking music seriously?Music was always my thing from as far back as I can remember. Dancing was my forte, but music has always been so important to me. My mum always bought music, and I always engrossed myself in her albums – Bob Marley, George Benson, Marvin Gaye and James Brown.

I went out to parties - Blues, RnB, Soul and Reggae - from about ‘82, but we always got into a bit of trouble at these parties. I was working for Telecom as an engineer at that time so being an artist wasn’t in my thinking back then.

I remember one mate taking me to a rave in Swiss Cottage in ’88 and once I was there I knew I would never go to any other party than a rave. Back then I went to every rave there was, Labyrinth, Energy, Sunrise, Back 2 The Future and Genesis. I would be the first one in and the last one out.

I went to stay with my dad in Canada and while I was there I started watching ‘YO MTV RAPS’. I was a bit bored and had my dads collection of tunes. After getting to know a few MCs I started to write some rhymes, which I didn’t really know what to do with. When I got home my brother told me they were good and once I started raving back home I started trying out my raps at home, in clubs, in the car, wherever I could.

Then, my mate Lenny D asked me to work in his club 'Brain’ in Wardour Street, where I hid behind the speaker with a mic chatting my lyrics over tracks. Whilst I was there I was invited by the band to perform at the ‘808 State’ VIP room at Wembley Arena. I had some problems on the door with the security being difficult and I left there disheartened, I remember going straight to a house event and came out to the car to find a flyer on my car with a pic of me (with no top on, little picky locks lol). I asked the promoter at the club how they got the pic of me and they invited me to their club to do a PA.

That’s how it started really, it was so organic and wasn’t planned, I got asked to do loads of gigs after that event. Then, in '91, I moved into a different network and style of music and met Dominic Spreadlove, Alex P, Darryl B and many others. We had a residency at Wildlife, St Martins Lane, performing regularly, and that’s where I found my art as a MC.

When you first started MCing what music did you listen too?I was listening to house and hip-hop.

Who is your favourite DJ to work with?That is so hard to answer - there are so many I love working with! It is impossible to say one. Pied Piper, Norris Da Boss, Dominic Spreadlove, EZ to name a few! There are just so many I enjoy working with. The list could go on and on.

Any new projects to look out for in 2016?We are currently working on my own album. We have a new UK Garage release coming out "WAT" with DJ Pied Piper and Unknown MC on their new label WAT Records. I’ve been working on a House/ Techno track, "RAVE", which has just come out on Vous Records with producers Styline & Spencer Tarring.

I’ve also been deep in the studio with Norris Da Boss & Rose Windross, and working on collaboration with Mighty Moe. I’m also planning the return of my Vocal Fusion series very soon!

MC Creed will be joining us for our 15th Birthday on Saturday 5th March where he will be joined by Todd Edwards, The Dreem Team, Rat Pack, Mark Radford & more! Come check it out.